Reserve your table now for the 2023 Distinguished Artist Awards Banquet! It will be a colorful night, honoring two incredibly influential artists who have made an impact on the Abilene Arts Community!
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2023 HONOREES
LA GINA FAIRBETTER
La Gina Fairbetter is an Abilene native and founding member of the Center for Contemporary Arts with roots in the Artists League of Texas which preceded the CCA. She is a painter, a muralist, and sculptor who has contributed widely to the broader arts community in Abilene, Lubbock, and beyond.
La Gina is an alumna of McMurry University, where she continues to contribute through exhibitions of her work in their galleries, exhibitions, and facilities. More recently she instructed art and architecture students at Texas Tech University from 1996 to 2019.
La Gina is an avid fan of horses and is known widely for her realistic images of dinosaurs in their habitats. Her painted canvas backdrops for The Grace Museum’s Dinosaurs of Texas exhibit drew rave reviews and enhanced her status as one of America’s foremost dinosaur artists. With her wide range of talents it is hard to categorize her work, but La Gina chooses “conceptual realism” for classification purposes. Her current work is highlighted in the “Changing World” space at the Museum of Texas Tech University.
The former New York City resident, who spent time herding animals used in skits on "Saturday Night Live" while working in the arts community, said horses often represent more than their appearance.
"Historically, horses are a symbol and metaphor for concepts beyond their animal identity," she said. The wind and the horse reflect continuous change, movement and the sharing of blessings to the world."
JUANITA TITTLE POLLARD
"No artist has been so well received by the people of this area nor so well liked as a person. Her art reflects the wholesome, optimistic outlook on life so characteristic of her own personality." The Optimist, March 16, 1962
Juanita Tittle Pollard was an artist and an educator. Raised in Abilene, she began painting at age 6; attended Abilene Christian College, and in 1932 she began a career as a highly influential art educator beginning at Abilene ISD, and later to Abilene Christian, Lubbock Christian, and Texas Tech University. She would go on to chair the art department at ACU for 20 years. A visual arts scholarship in her name is awarded to this day.
Juanita Tittle Pollard individually influenced the culture and community of art in Abilene, but also taught generations of artists who remain active in our arts community to this day including previous Distinguished Artist honoree, Ruth Lambert Jackson. Several of our Center artists have been recipients of the Juanita Tittle Pollard scholarship as well, including Polly Jones - who received it twice.
Juanita Tittle Pollard was a painter and a sculptor - continually exploring new materials. She exhibited her art until the very end - with her final exhibition at the Center for Contemporary Arts in January 1994, with January 13, 1994 proclaimed Juanita Tittle Pollard Day in Abilene by Mayor Gary McCaleb.
DISTINGUISHED ARTIST AWARDS BANQUET SPONSORS
Tejon Exploration
Kathy Drury
Abilene Cultural Affairs Council
Gay Beitscher
Condley & Company, LLP
Michelle + Stephen Jones / Clear Fork Bank
McMurry University
Janice + Gene Six
